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Latest News: Jeremy Allen White Wins Second Emmy Award
Jeremy Allen White claimed his second Emmy at the 76th annual awards ceremony on September 15, winning Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. The 33-year-old actor was honored for his portrayal of chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto in the critically acclaimed FX comedy-drama The Bear. The award recognizes his work in the show’s second season, not the recently released third season.
In his acceptance speech, White expressed heartfelt gratitude toward his castmates and the series. “Thank you, thank you, thank you so much. My heart is just beating outside of its chest,” he said. “This show has changed my life. It has instilled a faith that change is possible, that change is possible if you’re able to reach out, you’re really, truly never actually alone.”
Who Is Jeremy Allen White?
Jeremy Allen White is widely recognized for his role as the gifted yet troubled chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto on The Bear, a performance that earned him an Emmy Award, two Golden Globes, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Critics Choice Award. White’s breakout role was as Lip Gallagher on Showtime’s Shameless, a series he joined shortly after graduating high school and remained a part of for its entire 10-season run. He also co-starred in the 2023 film The Iron Claw and will portray rock legend Bruce Springsteen in an upcoming biopic.
Early Life
Born on February 17, 1991, in New York City, White is the son of theater actors Eloise Zeigler and Richard White. His parents relocated to the city in their early 20s to pursue careers on Broadway, and later shifted to other professional paths—his father started a business filming depositions, while his mother worked in education. “I’d always known that [acting] was something they were always very interested in,” White said of his parents.
Growing up in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn, White developed an early passion for the arts. He studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance throughout elementary school, but by age 11, he became frustrated with the lack of rigor in his middle school dance program. “I didn’t think it was serious enough for me. [I was] so obnoxious,” he recalled. White then turned his focus to acting, participating in auditions for various roles, eventually landing an agent.
Despite his desire to leave high school early to pursue acting, White’s parents encouraged him to graduate, allowing him to intern at a casting agency as a compromise. After completing high school, White enrolled at the prestigious Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, where he further honed his craft.
Early Career and Shameless
Jeremy Allen White’s acting journey began with early roles in Beautiful Ohio (2006) and the legal drama Conviction (2006). Reflecting on his early years in acting, White admitted, “My identity was really, really wrapped up in my profession. If that wasn’t going well, nothing was going well. If that was going well, everything felt really fantastic.” During his performance in Afterschool (2008) at the Cannes Film Festival, White recalled feeling self-conscious and highly critical of his work, which often led him to overanalyze his performances.
His breakthrough came shortly after high school when he was cast in the iconic role of Phillip “Lip” Gallagher on Shameless (2011-2021). Portraying the eldest son of a dysfunctional family in Chicago, White’s character was a brilliant, but troubled young man who balanced his academic success with alcohol addiction, engaging in various schemes to support his family. White moved to Los Angeles at age 18 for the role, marking a significant transition. “I didn’t have a community outside of the show when I first got there, and I felt super isolated,” he shared, though he found a certain “romantic” appeal in that loneliness.
Throughout Shameless’s 10-year run, White’s performance was transformative. “We learned how to be, I think, decent people on that show, too,” he reflected. The camaraderie on set was evident, with William H. Macy’s mentorship inspiring White to push his performance further. In 2014, White received a Critics’ Choice Television Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his work in the show’s fourth season.
Despite his deep affection for the series, White expressed relief when it ended, noting that while the experience was incredible, he questioned the longevity of such shows. “There was a period where I stopped feeling like an actor, and I started feeling like I was just here to do this show,” he admitted, reflecting on the uncertainty about his future post-Shameless.
The Bear
During his tenure on Shameless, White also appeared in films such as Twelve (2010), Bad Turn Worse (2013), Movie 43 (2013), After Everything (2018), and The Rental (2020), as well as the Amazon Prime Video series Homecoming (2018). However, in 2022, White’s career took another pivotal turn with the role of Carmy Berzatto in The Bear, an FX comedy-drama series. Portraying a talented but emotionally scarred chef who returns to Chicago to take over his brother’s failing restaurant, White found the role challenging yet deeply rewarding. Initially concerned about the similarities between Carmy and his Shameless character, White was ultimately drawn to the quality of the writing. The Bear creator Christopher Storer saw in White the perfect balance of “warmth and intelligence,” alongside “something a little dangerous.”
For the role, White underwent intensive culinary training, including classes at the Institute of Culinary Education and hands-on experience at the Michelin-starred Pasjoli restaurant. Reflecting on the preparation, White said, “It is such an amazing way to understand character. It feels like a cheat code or something.” He also immersed himself in the mental struggles of his character, drawing inspiration from Al Pacino’s performance in The Panic in Needle Park (1971) to portray Carmy’s inner turmoil.
The Bear quickly gained critical acclaim, particularly for White’s performance. His portrayal of Carmy’s vulnerability and emotional complexity was praised by critics, with IndieWire calling it a “magnetic turn.” A standout moment was White’s performance in a seven-minute monologue in the first season finale, where Carmy opens up about his brother’s death and its impact on his career. This scene, as InStyle noted, showcased White’s ability to bring palpable intensity to the screen.
Despite receiving attention for his role, White has kept a level head, acknowledging the fan appreciation for both him and his character. “I think we’re both pretty good at not paying too much attention… I have a pretty healthy distance from it all,” he said. The portrayal of a character so dedicated to his work, with minimal focus on romance or personal life, has resonated with fans in ways White didn’t anticipate.
White’s exceptional work on The Bear earned him several prestigious awards, including a 2023 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He also won back-to-back Golden Globe Awards in 2023 and 2024 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy, in addition to accolades from the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Critics’ Choice Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy Series in 2023.
Newest Movies: The Iron Claw and Bruce Springsteen Biopic
Jeremy Allen White’s rising prominence, driven by his standout role in The Bear, has significantly boosted his career, with increased public attention and a range of high-profile commercial appearances alongside stars like Matt Damon, Zoe Saldaña, and Ludacris. His 2023 appearance in the independent film Fremont, directed by Babak Jalali, marked a notable, though small, role as a lonely mechanic.
In early November 2023, White showcased his versatility in Fingernails, a science-fiction romance on Apple TV+. Directed by Christos Nikou, the film received mixed reviews from critics, though White’s performance, along with those of his co-stars Jessie Buckley and Riz Ahmed, was widely praised. Nikou described White as “the new Ryan Gosling,” lauding his impressive ability to deliver standout performances in one take.
White’s most recent project, The Iron Claw, premiered in late December 2023. The biographical sports film tells the story of the Von Erich family, legendary in the world of professional wrestling. White portrays Kerry Von Erich, a key member of the family, joining a cast that includes Zac Efron as his brother Kevin. White discussed the challenges of portraying a real-life person, noting the pressure of portraying someone whose life is closely examined. His dedication to the role included training with professional wrestler Chavo Guerrero Jr., leading to praise for his natural wrestling ability, which the film’s director, Sean Durkin, described as rare. Additionally, White underwent an intense physical transformation for the role, consuming large amounts of food to gain muscle mass and altering his regular fitness routine.
Looking ahead, White is set to portray music legend Bruce Springsteen in the forthcoming biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere, which focuses on the making of the iconic 1982 album Nebraska. White has committed to performing his own singing for the film, which is based on a book of the same name. While no release date has been announced, anticipation is high for the project.
Personal Life: Family and Divorce
Jeremy Allen White married actress Addison Timlin in October 2019. The couple first met in high school, and Timlin later shared on Instagram how she was captivated by White’s performance in drama class at the age of 14. They both appeared in the 2008 film Afterschool. However, the couple filed for divorce in May 2023.
Together, White and Timlin have two daughters, Ezer and Dolores “Dolly,” born in 2018 and 2020, respectively. White has spoken fondly of fatherhood, expressing that his daughters teach him valuable lessons in how to be a better person in both his personal and professional life. Actress Dakota Johnson serves as the godmother to the girls.
As part of the divorce proceedings, a joint custody arrangement filed in October 2023 includes stipulations for White to regularly use a professional breathalyzer when spending time with his children. Additionally, he is required to attend weekly therapy sessions and at least two Alcoholics Anonymous meetings per week. Amidst the divorce, White has been romantically linked to Grammy-winning artist Rosalía.